Magnesium Magic

For years I’ve taken a magnesium supplement before I go to bed, it’s a surefire way to start the next day with a solid #2–pun intended. What I didn’t realize though before some research was just how essential this mineral is and how magnesium deficient many of us are. I didn’t suppose I was one of these people–after all I consume no caffeine and very little sugar, two things that act to deplete essential minerals in our bodies. Plus–I took the supplement, I really didn’t think there were any other benefits of magnesium that I was missing out on.

This notion of mine came to a crashing halt when I visited my Mom a few weeks ago and she rubbed some magnesium oil on my tight, almost pulsating calves. Have you ever walked around feeling like your calf or hamstring was constantly on the verge of a charley horse? That’s where I was at. I was pretty frustrated because I was set to start marathon training a few days later and I couldn’t run through the painful cramps–it just didn’t seem wise. A large part of my frustration was with myself as I felt sure that I had probably been overstretching my calves and not balancing that stretching with strength exercises. I felt annoyed because I had made the same mistake with my hamstrings for years–in yoga I would overstretch and overstretch thinking that one day they would magically open up. I walked around in pain and with lower back issues for a long time. Once I started strength training and stopped overdoing it in yoga, the issue improved almost immediately. Somehow though, I neglected to translate this knowledge I had gained to other parts of my body. I barely ever trained below my knees– I was a runner, I had strong calves, right?

Frustration aside, on that long weekend, the magnesium oil–a product I had once met with a lot of skepticism, appeared to be having some sort of effect. I wrote about it briefly when I got back but I wanted to get a few weeks of use under my belt before I shared my results with all of you.

After I shower each morning, I spray a few squirts of magnesium oil onto each hand and massage it into my calves. I let it absorb for about 10-15 minutes before I apply my moisturizer on top of it. Before I go to bed at night, I apply a few more sprays. When I’m not lazy, I massage it into the muscle a little more deeply. Here’s what’s happened so far:

I haven’t had a cramp in my calves for three weeks–that on-the-verge charley horse sensation is completely gone, and the knots that used to bind my muscles feel looser every single day-even after long runs.

I’ve extended my daily use of the magnesium oil to other parts of my body–my hamstrings, lower back, and right shoulder–which I seemed to have tweaked lifting. Soreness in all three areas has subsided. Where I felt tight, achy, and constricted, I am now feeling loose and mobile.

Every month when my period comes I have a battle–how much pain can I take? If my cramps get really bad, I give in and take ibuprofen–something I generally avoid. Bent over in pain this past month and massaging the oil into my calves, it came back to me–all the reviews of women on Amazon reporting that the oil really helped with menstrual cramps. Sure enough, I massaged a small amount below my abdomen and I was able to settle into a restful and pain-free night’s sleep.

When I remember, I’ve also been massaging the oil into my feet. While I’ve never had any foot problems before, I figure it couldn’t hurt, especially with all the extra mileage coming from training.

Why Oil?

While we used to get a lot of the magnesium we need from our food, soil throughout the world, and especially the United States has become profoundly depleted of minerals it was once rich in. While we can take a supplement, magnesium is actually much better absorbed topically. It’s easy to forget that our skin is a huge organ, things we absorb through our skin reach our bloodstream much more quickly because they don’t have to travel through our digestive system. Bonus: You can’t overdo it, your skin will not absorb more magnesium than your body needs.

The magnesium oil that I use can be found here, and can also be found for a better price at Whole Foods. That brand has worked well for me but I am sure there are other ones out there that are just as good. I’m not big on pushing products but I do like to share when I find something that’s really a game changer, and that’s what this is. Hoping it might help with someone else’s aches and pains–please give it a try and let me know what you think!

Below, I leave you with a few more benefits of magnesium oil. Here’s to happy and healthy joints and muscles!

I’ve been wanting to get into oils for a while now and a friend of mine sells DoTerra. I have a few things but haven’t taken the time to really delve into it, but this is great advice! I might start telling my mom to use it on her back and legs also as she has a lot of arthritis etc! Amazing!

Magnesium is magical! I started taking it as a supplement when I first started lifting, because the muscle cramps were intense, and I’ve kept up with it semi-regularly ever since. The fact that our soil can be so depleted of a vital nutrient is kind of depressing, though. Makes you wonder what else might be missing these days.

You’re right, i think it is sad, I think A LOT is missing unfortunately and it is getting worse and pesticides and gmos are on the rise. So much of what we need we should be getting from our food but it is def a little more challenging these days!

My fiance is big on the farm-to-table movement and the depletion of top soil is one of the things he talks about. He’s really into what Dan Barber is doing at Blue Hill and Stone Barns because Dan and Ag majors from universities with acclaimed Ag programs are sending students there to help him understand proper agriculture. I think he even said that Dan Barber’s crops have actually been able to add layers of top soil back to their crops somehow. Netflix’s Chef Table Season 1 has an episode dedicated to what they are doing, and Chris has his book. It’s pretty neat what he’s accomplishing.

When I finally pick a date to come to NYC and work for a week with my boss (my company has offices across the US, in Cananda, England, and India), if we can get to Stone Barn for dinner that would be amazing, but we definitely want to go to Blue Hill Restaurant!

Oh man, I LOVE LOVE looking at this issue from the chef’s angle! I am a little chef obsessed (both me and my hubs!) and I especially admire the ones who are working hard to keep things sustainable. It is good to know that they are delving into these issues from every angle–I never really thought about the soil before I researched this!
I have to check out Chef Table on Netflix–it has been on my list for a while and my sister told me she thought it was something i would especially enjoy!
I know about Blue Hill and Stone Barn but have not gotten to go yet–if you make that trip you better do an extensive post with pics– I will do the same, we will see who gets there first 🙂

It sounds like a plan! I’m currently my chef’s butt to post his breakfast for me for the past couple of days. He made mini quiche and substituted almond milk for cream and used whole wheat flour for the crust. They were around 180 calories per quiche and a great answer after a morning running!

Aw man, cramps at night, those are the worst cause they effect your sleep so much! I have to say I am pretty excited for you to try it–I really believe it’s a great solution and can help with a lot of different things–leg cramps being one of the big ones! Let me know how it goes!! x

Ah that’s so great Karen, I’m so glad this this might be helpful! I was skeptical as well at first too–then my mom actually offered up a lot of science behind it as she rubbed it into my legs and they started to feel better. I had to give it a few weeks before I shared cause I didn’t want it to be a placebo. It’s def the real deal–hope it helps her!
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